Name: ____________________
Modern European History
Date: ____________
Unit 1 – The Renaissance
Researching the Crusades
In the 1060s, the Seljuk Turks, who were Muslims, invaded the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine army needed
help defending the empire, so the emperor asked for help from Pope Urban II. Although Byzantine emperors and
Roman Popes were rivals, the Pope said he would send help. He agreed to send help because the Seljuk Turks had
also taken over the Holy Land. The Holy Land included Jerusalem and other places in Palestine where Jesus had
lived and taught.
Pope Urban II met with a group of bishops and noblemen in 1095. He said, “From Jerusalem and the city of
Constantinople comes a grievous report … An accursed race … has violently invaded the lands of those
Christians.” The Pope called for a Crusade to free the Holy Land from the invading Muslims. He said people who
joined the Crusades would have all their sins forgiven.
By 1096, thousands of European knights were on their way to the Holy Land. Some knights joined the Crusades
because they believed strongly in their religion. Many went because they hoped to win wealth and land. Others
traveled to the Middle East because they wanted adventure.
Christian knights captured Jerusalem in 1099. They massacred the Muslim and Jewish people who lived in the
city. The Muslim leader Saladin took Jerusalem back in 1187. The Third Crusade tried and failed to take the city
back. Crusaders decided to attack other Muslim lands, but these attacks all ended in defeat. During the Fourth
Crusade, the crusaders fought against Christians instead of Muslims! The crusaders captured and looted
Constantinople, the Byzantine capital.
The Crusades continued off and on for 200 years. Each time the crusaders won, they turned the captured lands
into Christian kingdoms. The Muslims took back the lands, which resulted in more knights being sent from
Europe. Christians and Muslims committed terrible acts against each other in the Middle East in the name of
religion. The Crusades left behind religious hatred that would last for centuries.
In Europe, the Crusades had a major political effect. During the Crusades, European noblemen sold their lands to
join the fight. This caused them to lose power in their communities. As the nobles lost power, kings created
stronger central governments. By the mid-1400s, there were four strong nation-states in Europe: Portugal, Spain,
England, and France.
Directions:
Use the internet or other resources to help you answer the following questions. Use the Chicago Manual of Style
reference sheet to cite the sources you use.
1.
Research the Children’s Crusade of 1212 to find out:
Who (was involved):
What (did they do):
Where (did they go and originate from):
Why (did they go there):
How (did they fight, and were they successful):
2.
The Third Crusade:
Who (was involved):
What (did they do):
Where (did they go and originate from):
Why (did they go there):
How (did they fight, and were they successful):
3.
Christians, Jews, and Muslims all claim Jerusalem as a holy city. What is the connection each has with
this city?
Christians:
Jews:
Muslims: